Padre Mac

The autobiography of a Scottish professor, army chaplain, World War II veteran, and prisoner of war.

From a croft in the Hebridean island of Harris to the grim confines of the Nazis’ notorious prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III and the hallowed of Glasgow University, the life of Murdo Ewen Macdonald was one of extraordinary variety and richness. Macdonald was ordained as a Church of Scotland minister in 1939 and joined the military in 1940. After volunteering in the First Parachute Brigade, he was sent to North Africa where, during a catastrophic mission in which he was severely wounded, he was taken prisoner in 1942. At the infamous Stalag Luft III he supported countless prisoners through their POW experience and assisted the 76 men who took part in the famous Great Escape. After the war he served in various charges in Scotland before being appointed Professor of Practical Theology at Glasgow University, a post which he held to his retirement in 1984. In this much acclaimed book, he looks back over his long and eventful life.

Praise for Padre Mac

“When we read this book, we find ourselves in the presence of an exceptional man.” —Iain Crichton-Smith